Shocking facts about Chinese

 Shocking facts about the Chinese

 From monumental defensive structures to everyday inventions that many of us still use today...stay tuned to number 1 to find out what made ancientChina a sought after trading destination. Number 10: Great Wall of China. We'll start the video with one of the mostwell known features from China's vast history; the Great Wall China is one of the great wondersof the world. As far as defensive fortifications go, youdon't get much more impressive than this. Stone, brick, earth and other materials makeup this incredibly long wall. Construction began on the wall over 2000 yearsago and was added to by consecutive generations, and it is estimated that millions of peopleworked to build the Great wall over 1000 years. With so much wall stretched over such vastdistances, it's no surprise we are still find sections we didn't even know about. In 2009, 180km of previously unknown sectionswere discovered. If you travel along the wall you would seeit in various different conditions, from overgrown vegetation on forgotten sections, crumblingbrick or complete sections destroyed, to the preserved and renovated areas nearest to touristcenters. Can it be seen from space? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but it can't. Although NASA has said it can be seen withthe naked eye from low Earth orbit, which is about 100 miles up, some continue to debatethis. Number 9: Rice. The ancient Chinese agricultural way of life,which was centered heavily on rice, played an important role in the history and developmentof the country. For thousands of years, Chinese farmers diligentlycultivated their land, and due to the production requirements of cultivating race, they developedirrigation techniques to help improve cultivation. By cultivating rice and increasing their agriculturalway of life, they consequently developed social, economic, political and ideological developmentsthat were closely linked and influenced by rice cultivation. In some parts of China, they have also combinedrice cultivation with raising fish in a rice-fish aquaculture system, a practice that is stillwidely practiced today. This sustainable and innovative choice ensuresthat the rice protects the fish from the sun, and, in turn, fish eat the weeds that wouldcause harm to rice, as well as fertilizing the crop! Number 8: Foot Binding. Chinese foot binding was a practice that Chinesewomen took part in, and we don't exactly know when and why it started. Some historians have dated its beginning tosometime during the 10th century, but no one knows for sure who started or why. However it was highly likely that it was themale perception of beauty that helped sustain the practice. The process worked by very slowly forcingthe form of the foot into a strange crescent shape over the course of decades, and beganwhen female children were young, and their bones were still soft. First the feet were submerged in hot waterand then the four smaller toes were tightly wrapped in cotton bandages, nestling themunder the rest the foot, angling it to create a sort of half-moon shape. After that, they had to rinse, wrap and repeatit for the rest of your life, every time making that little bit tighter. If the feet were not cared for, like cuttingthe toe nails, it could result in swollen, pus filled areas that created a horrible odor. In the worst cases whole toes might fall off,and that wasn't the end of the effects on the body. Women would regularly suffer from severe headaches,poor circulation, and extreme hip discomfort. Thankfully this practice was stopped aboutthree generations ago! Number 7: Chop Sticks. Today chopsticks are the norm of any Japaneseor Chinese restaurant, and many of us still struggle to work out how to use them. As far as utensils go, these aren't the easiestones to use, but that is likely a view impacted by western traditions. Nevertheless, it is something you can learneasily enough with practice, and once you do, there will be no going back. They are commonly made of bamboo, plastic,wood or stainless steel, but they have also been made from porcelain, jade, ivory, silverand even gold and titanium. They were first used over 200 years ago inthe ancient Han Chinese or the Zhou Dynasty, and later spread to other surrounding countries. Today you'll find them used in Cambodia, China,Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnams, in various styles and materials. Number 6: Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also known as the SpringFestival, has a far-reaching history that dates back over 3,000 years ago. Although the specifics details are widelydebated, it's generally believed that the origin of the festival can be traced backto the worshiping activities in China's ancient agrarian society. Some state that a small scale Spring Festivalwas celebrated as early as the time of the legendary sage-emperors Yao and Shun, andhistorically, various Chinese dynasties celebrated the Spring Festival in different ways, andat times influenced each other and added certain customs and traditions to it. It wasn't until the Han Dynasty, which datesfrom 202 BCE to 220 CE, that the date for the ceremony was fixed, when Emperor Wudicommanded to use the lunar calendar. Due to its association with the lunar calendar,the date of Chinese New Year actually changes each year, but it will always fall sometimebetween 21st January and 20th February. Over 3000 years the festival has changed anddeveloped and today it is celebrated by millions of people around the world, and not just byChinese people. Before we move on...don't forget to like thisvideo, and be sure to subscribe for more content by Zero2Hero! Number 5: Han Empire. The Han Empire had the longest duration ofany empire in a 2,100-year era of imperial rule. Even though the dynasty was interrupted bya coup in the middle called the Xin Dynasty, and divided into two eras called the WesternHan and Eastern Han, after the division, stability returned and the same dynastic clan continuedruling. Some have suggested that the Han Empire wasmuch like the Roman Empire in size and population. In fact, according to the census record, duringthe Western Han Dynasty, which lasted about 215 years, the population of the empire morethan tripled to about 57,700,000 people. Sadly, in the last decades of the empire,the people were hit by devastating famines in the north and flooding along the YellowRiver, which forced migration of many people, many of whom starved. In the year 194, there was even a great faminecaused due to a plague of locusts, as well as numerous outbreaks of the plague. Number 4: Chines Bronze MirrorsWhether you're someone who likes to check their hair or makeup every time you come acrossa mirror, or if you simply use them to make a room look bigger, most of us take mirrorsfor granted these days. But it hasn't always been as easy to see you'rereflection as it is today. Chinese bronze mirrors are nowhere near aseffective as modern mirrors, but they have a long history in Chinese culture, datingback over two thousand years. Although they were often placed in tombs,they were also used in the same way they are today...to allow people to look at themselves. However they were also objects of art andmany often included spiritual, cosmological and even magical meanings and functions. Unlike in today's age where mirrors may nothold much value, other than for their practical use, these objects were once valued giftsand used to create or cement family and political alliances. Number 3: Toilet Paper. This next entry is another one that many ofus take for granted...toilet paper. If you're fortunate enough to have a toiletand some toilet paper, you're better off than some people, but did you know the Chinesefirst invented toilet paper somewhere around the year 600. Toilet paper was first used solely by theruler and the highest of the elites, but, as time passed, it became more widely used. Within a couple of centuries vast quantitieswere needed for royal establishments and other wealthy households. Ironically, although we consider it a hygienicpractice today, when some outsiders first observed its use, they were shocked at whatthey considered uncleanliness, and were confused that they did not "wash" themselves with waterafter using the restroom. It should be said that the toilet paper usedin Ancient China is remarkably different from the commercial stuff we all have in our housetoday. Number 2: Tea. It's said that tea was discovered in AncientChina by the Chinese emperor Shennong in 2737 BCE. The story goes that Shennong liked to drinkhot water, and one day, he and his army stopped to rest, and his servant prepared hot boilingwater for him. At this point, a brown leaf fell into thewater and the color of the water was changed into brown. The servant still presented it to the emperor,who drank it and found it refreshing. It was later used as medicine during the HanDynasty, and hundreds of years later became a beverage drink to be consumed socially. As with many drinks and foods still preparedtoday, tea was prepared differently in Ancient china than today's world. The tea leaves were processed and compressedinto cake form, and the dried teacake was ground in a stone mortar resulting in a powderthat was then added to hot water. Number 1: Silk. Some people state that the next entry on thislist was the most zealously guarded secret in history. Silk production has a long and colorful historyunknown to most people. For centuries the West knew little about theproduction of silk. But in Roman times, Pliny, a Roman historian,wrote about it in his work "Natural History" in 70 BCE. For more than two thousand years the Chinesekept the secret of silk all to themselves. Some of the oldest evidence for silk productiondates as far back as 3000 BCE, with some suggesting even earlier dates. Literary sources offer more information aboutsilk production, such as the belief that reeling silk and spinning were always considered householdduties for women. As with many of the great inventions fromAncient China and other ancient and classical civilizations, when silk was first discovered,it was reserved exclusively for the use of the ruler. Gradually it became more common among thedifferent classes in society. Believe it or not, but silk isn't just usedto make clothes. It also has other uses like musical instruments,fishing line, bowstring, and more. Some believe it was already widely tradedbefore the Silk Road officially opened in the 2nd century BCE. Today, the two largest silk producers areChina and Japan who together manufacture more than 50% of the world's production of silk. Do you know any more interesting facts aboutAncient China? Let us know in the comments below and...takecare!